Cowboys' Stephen Jones Talks Dak, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper Contracts

While the Dallas Cowboys are hoping to sign offensive stars Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper to extensions, executive vice president Stephen Jones wants to sell the players on teamwork.

"As I told Demarcus Lawrence, and I'll tell all three of these guys—I'd love for you to max out and give you exactly what you want, because y'all have worked hard and you deserve to have a big contract, but if we want to put together the type of team we want to have with the Cowboys..." Jones said Wednesday, per Todd Archer of ESPN.

Lawrence was the first domino to fall, signing a five-year, $105 million deal earlier in the offseason.

The defensive end certainly didn't take a discount. He has the highest average annual salary of anyone at his position, per Spotrac.

The Cowboys may need their other stars to give them more wiggle room. They'll be under pressure to get the extensions done soon, too. Cooper and Prescott have one more year left under their current deals, while Elliott is under team control through the 2020 season.

The initial prognosis doesn't look great for keeping them at below-market prices. According to Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Cooper's demands are "shockingly high," while Prescott is seeking close to $30 million per year.

Meanwhile, Elliott is one of the best in the NFL at his position and could also command a large deal.

Jones hopes they will take a bit less than they deserve.

"Because the money, if we can talk them into not maxing out—doing well, but not maxed—then that allows us to have other good football players around them," he said.

The Cowboys currently have the fifth-most cap space in the NFL for 2020, per Spotrac, but that won't be the case after they come to terms on new deals with Prescott, Cooper and Elliott.